Chapter 223: Resolution
Alice subconsciously held her breath, her slender fingers trembling as she gripped Raphiel's right hand tighter, the warmth of her friend's skin grounding her. Her wide eyes shimmered with tension, never once blinking as she focused on Kouya's every subtle movement. The air in the room felt heavy, suffocating, and even the faint ticking of the clock on the wall seemed distant.
Soon, the woman's beautiful brows knit together, her body shuddering slightly as if fighting an unseen force. Her throat moved in a disturbing ripple, something twisting beneath the skin as though trying to escape. The sound of her faint groans filled the silence, sending a chill through the air.
Then, under Alice's horrified, disbelieving gaze, a mass of writhing black mist suddenly burst out from her mother's mouth with a violent hiss!
The thick black fog coiled in midair, spreading like dark smoke and emitting a shrill, inhuman cry that echoed around the room. Its shape constantly morphed—sometimes like a clawed beast, sometimes like a face twisted in agony—before condensing into a thin, streaking shadow that darted toward the window, desperate to flee.
Unfortunately, it was pointless.
Kouya's calm expression didn't even waver. He raised his right hand casually and clenched his fingers together. The air trembled, and the black mist was instantly seized mid-flight, struggling and thrashing in his grasp. It screeched, its form distorting violently, but Kouya only narrowed his eyes and gave a faint, effortless squeeze. A sharp, crackling noise echoed—and the creature's resistance shattered like fragile glass. He then reached for an empty glass cup from the table and trapped the mist within it as if capturing a stray firefly.
Seeing this scene unfold before her, Alice's face turned even paler, her lips trembling. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. "M-Mom, is Mom okay?!" she asked, her voice trembling with panic.
Kouya's calm tone seemed to cut through the chaos. "She's fine. She'll wake up soon."
As if responding to his words, the woman on the bed stirred weakly. Her eyelashes fluttered before her eyes slowly opened, a dazed confusion swimming within them.
"Mom, you're finally awake!" Alice cried out in relief. Her twin tails bounced as she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck. All the tears she had fought so hard to hold back burst free, warm droplets rolling down her cheeks.
"What's the matter?" her mother asked, her voice still weak but tender, one hand gently brushing through Alice's soft golden hair. "You're already such a big girl, and you're still crying? That's so embarrassing."
"I-I wasn't crying!" Alice sniffled, hurriedly wiping at her tears before turning her head away. "Y-You've been asleep all day! I thought… I thought something happened to you…" Her voice broke at the end, her eyes reddening again.
"If you keep crying, you'll turn ugly," her mother teased with a faint, amused smile.
Alice's cheeks flushed crimson. "M-Mom!" she squeaked, grabbing a tissue to dab her face. Slowly, the color returned to her pale skin, and her breathing steadied.
"I slept the whole day?" her mother murmured in confusion, blinking as she tried to recall. "I just remember feeling tired these past few days. I must've not been resting well… I didn't think I'd fall asleep for so long."
"That's not it!" Alice interjected quickly, her voice full of energy again. She puffed out her cheeks in indignation, pointing toward the glass cup in Kouya's hand. "Mom, the reason you were so tired and having those nightmares—it wasn't because of lack of sleep! It was because of that thing!"
Her mother turned her gaze toward the glass. Inside, the black mist continued to shift restlessly, forming fleeting grotesque shapes. Her expression grew grave, her sharp eyes filled with recognition and unease—but she didn't panic. Instead, she gently stroked Alice's head, then looked toward Kouya and Raphiel with quiet curiosity.
"And you two are?"
"This is Shiraha-sama—Raphiel," Alice said proudly, beaming. "She's my best friend from school!" She hesitated briefly, glancing at Kouya. "And this guy's… a classmate I asked to come help…"
Raphiel chuckled softly, bowing her head slightly. "Please call me Raphiel, obasan."
Kouya stood silently to the side, his dark eyes steady, saying nothing.
The woman smiled with graceful composure and nodded, greeting them both politely before turning to Alice again. "Why don't you take your friends to the living room for a while? Mommy's all sweaty—I need a bath before I can face guests."
...
Twenty minutes later.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed down the stairs. Wearing a pale pink yukata, her damp hair elegantly pinned up, Ryoko Nagasawa descended with poise. The faint scent of shampoo followed her, mingling with the quiet warmth of the room. She radiated calm maturity, her every movement polished yet gentle.
After thanking Kouya and Raphiel again and exchanging a few polite words, her gaze fell upon the glass on the table. "You're Alice's classmate, right? I'll just call you Kou-kun. Could you tell me what this thing is exactly?"
Kouya spoke lightly. "A Dream Eater Demon. A rare yokai that feeds on human dreams."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Wild ones are uncommon. This one, though—it was raised by someone."
He had felt it immediately: the faint, disciplined spiritual aura that could only belong to an onmyoji.
"I see…" Ryoko's expression darkened slightly, the depth of her eyes betraying thought and caution.
Kouya gave a single nod, offering no further explanation. It wasn't his business who had sent it—or why. His role was done.
Ryoko, ever the composed businesswoman, quickly recovered. "Thank you both for helping Alice," she said warmly. "When she attended that girls' school before, she never brought a single friend home in three years. It makes me very happy to see her smiling with company."
"Mom! Stop saying that!" Alice yelped in embarrassment, hiding her red face in her hands.
Ryoko laughed softly, ruffling her daughter's hair. "Alright, alright. But truly, thank you for being her friends."
The conversation lingered for a while longer, warm and light-hearted. Eventually, Ryoko offered to prepare a late meal, but Raphiel declined politely. "It's already late, Ryoko-san. We should head back—there's class tomorrow."
Kouya naturally had no intention of staying longer. He stood and adjusted his coat quietly.
Ryoko smiled knowingly. "Alright then, I won't keep you. Let's do this instead—come over again on the weekend. Alice can invite you both for dinner. I'll cook something special myself. You'd better come, or obasan will be upset!"
Alice and her mother walked them to the gate together. "Shall I have the driver take you home?" Ryoko asked.
Raphiel smiled and shook her head. "No need, Ryoko-san. I'll walk with Kouya."
"Alright," Ryoko said warmly, waving. "Then be careful on your way."
...
Outside the quiet residential area, a bright silver moon hung high in the clear night sky. The cool air carried a faint scent of wet leaves and distant flowers. The streets were empty, washed in pale blue light under the streetlamps.
"It's cold," Raphiel murmured softly, rubbing her hands together as she glanced toward Kouya.
He looked at her expressionlessly. "I'm not cold."
"...You're impossible," she muttered, puffing her cheeks.
A few steps later, she peeked sideways again. "You were amazing today, Kouya. Next time you go hunt a yokai, can I come along? Please?"
"No."
Her wings nearly twitched in protest. "I heard onmyoji have shikigami. What's yours?"
"Guess."
"Uuuh, you're so stingy!"
Their banter echoed softly through the still night. Raphiel kept talking, jumping from one topic to another, while Kouya's replies remained brief and dry. Yet she didn't seem to mind at all. If anything, her eyes only grew brighter with curiosity, her smile softer.
When they passed a small ice cream shop, its lights still faintly glowing, Raphiel suddenly stopped. "Hey, I'll treat you to ice cream!"
Kouya raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you were cold?"
"Cold doesn't mean I can't eat ice cream," she replied proudly, lifting a finger. "Haven't you seen girls in short skirts during winter? We're mysterious like that." She giggled, clasping her hands behind her back as her long silver hair shimmered in the moonlight. "Girls are amazing creatures, you know."
He gave a faint, silent sigh. She wasn't wrong.
Girls truly were strange and fascinating. They'd run out of breath after a kilometer in PE but could shop from morning till night. They'd nibble on a single bite of dinner but somehow eat bags of snacks afterward.
Holding ice creams in hand, the two walked side by side under the moonlit street, their shoulders almost brushing. The night felt softer, warmer somehow, even as the wind whispered through the trees.
By the time Kouya reached home, the clock was nearing nine.
He turned on his computer, the glow of the screen filling the dark room. Not long after, a message popped up from the lazy fallen angel next door:
"I'm going on a diet! Stop tempting me with snacks!"
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